The Question....

[Hinna]

Those who wear hijab..have u ever been asked a stupid/derogatory question..about ur hair or the hijab?

The craziest one I've been asked by a kid while I was in line at No Frills was

Are you bald under there?

The mother of this child was tres embarassed!

------------------
"............beauty is life when life unveils her holy face, But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in the mirror, But you are eternity and you are the mirror."

[Muzna]

I don't wear hijab Hinna...but I'm curious, what did you say to that kid? And did the mother say anything to you?

Plus...here's another question....I know of a girl that wears hijab on her head...covers her hair completely....but she also wears a great deal of make-up (e.g. dark shades of lipstick, loads of foundation, blush, thick liquid eye-liner), and tight fitting jeans.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Mr Fraudia]

you know her too? http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

[Hinna]

well I told the kid that I had a head full of hair and that it was a part of my religion. The kid's mother just said sorry..and I was like its okay...

I think wearing makeup is allowed...within reason...
I've read it somewhere...I just can't put my finger on it right about now.

As for tight clothes, the hijab is not only a head covering..its about one's entire dress, you are not supposed to show your figure to a non mehram( someone who can't see you without the hijab).

[wasim21]

I am proud of you Hinna. Wearing Hijab is part of Islam. We, here is Silicon Valley, once or twice a year have speeches on Hijab on campus. you will see lots of Muslim girls wearing hijab at schools and colleges.

[kohal]

kohal gives hins a bhallu hug
i''m proud of you too hins; i think that you know how i think wearing hijab is quite hard.
i sincerely respect those girls who believe & follow it by 100%heart & mind

btw, i can't come to the mela. http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif i'm under house arrest for upcoming exams...

[josh]

Hinna tu sondhi Musalmin hain while Muzna and Kohal kuffar hain.

[kohal]

http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/devil.gif
http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

[BoSS]

Hinna, this is ur second hijab thread i suppose...which is making me believe that you r a serious hijabi girl, therefore I thought I should ask you a few questions to understand the inside stuff ;-) You don't have to answer the questions if they offend you.

1) I see a lot of Hijabi girls here in Toronto and I'm sure u must have a few friends who wear hijab...How does your group deal with diversity, especially girls in early teens? (the kid's question above was innocent but it could be irritating)

2) How do you girls feel about other muslim girls who don't wear hijab?
And those who don't, how do u feel about hijabies? I don't think its a matter of personal preference...there should be more logic to it.
Here is question for girls and boys, does respecting a girl who wears hijab takes the load off Your shoulders....and You can go back to ur normal lives?

3) U r living in a society where dating is a part of the culture...those who do hang out with boys how do they decide where to draw the line (if the line has not been crossed already).

ciao,
BoSS

[Hinna]

Thanx wasim!
Kohal is right..the hijab does test you in many ways...but if you are strong and willing..you can face anything that comes your way. http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

awwwwwwwwwwww you can't come to da melaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/frown.gif
what about amloo?


Boss....first off the bat..I didn't realized you were in toronto.... http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/redface.gif

Acha, I'm gonna try and answer your questions to the best of my ability.

1) Yes, I have a few hijabi friends. My "crew" or group of friends that I hang out with are very mixed. My bestfriends are of these backgrounds: Sri Lankan, El Salvadorian--of spanish decent, African, Indian and I'm the sole Pakistani in the group.

Although we are of diverse backgrounds and religions--2 are hindu, 1 is catholic, 2 are ismali & 2 are muslim-- we see each others religions through respectful and curious eyes. When I first met all of these people, 6 years ago, there were questions that were asked about each others religions. All questions were welcome, and are still welcome. Its about keeping an open mind and learning about each others respective faiths.

My non-muslim friends know about Islamic holidays, and know about the month of Ramadan, likewise, I know special days in their religons.

2) As for muslim women who don't wear hijab, to each his..in this case HER own. My mother and older sister don't wear the hijab..it doesn't mean that I don't respect them because they don't wear one. And they aren't bothered by me wearing one either..they encourage me everyday.

The only problem I have is with HIJABIS who don't respect the hijab...(from my other thread).

3) Honestly, I have a lot of male friends and our friendship goes only to a certain extent. You have to make sure they understand your beliefs and that they will respect your wishes as to how far the friendship will go..ie physical contact etc etc. You have to make sure that the lines of communication are open and that there is a mutual trust and respect for the parties involved.

I hope I answered the questions clearly http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

[Rani]

Hinna,

I understand that main idea behind wearing a Hajib for women is not to tempt men with their looks. I assume that you live in the west, most women in west spend lot of money and time to look good. Men in western countries are used to seeing beautiful turned out women (just as women are used to nice looking fashionable men)why do you think men would be particularly tempted by your hair and attair when there are so many others around. Actually in non-muslim countries women wearing hajib stand out and as a result receive more then their share of attention and stares.

Women can also get tempted by good looking men, therefore don't you think men should also hide themselves or wear unbecoming clothes.

To tell you the truth I feel more comfortable around men who are accostomed to having women around them then the those whose women are in purdah- believe me it is very easy to tell the difference.

(This is not meant to put anybody down but something I always thought about when I see women wearing hijab)




[This message has been edited by Rani (edited June 02, 2000).]

[Larki Pakistani]

Salam Hinna ji http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif
Question like that r very normal....bcoz muj se bhi people istarah ke sawal karte hain, and not only kids but people who r older than me ehh....I always answered keh what u think.....yaah phir baat age piche kar deti hoN, specially agar larke hoN...bcoz I mean keh hijab karne ka faida hi nehi agar ap apne hair describe karne shoro hojao...!!


.....I hate question like that, but believe me ek dafah ek pakistani uncle ne muj se pocha keh.."tumhare kitne lambe baal hain, and if u dont tell me tab me tumhara hijab otar doNga...."Can u believe that..????? AND HE WAS NOT KIDDING!!!!

Muzna!!
I know many girls jo istarah ki hain....
Personelly i mean keh hijab karna he to bande tareeqe ka kare yah to phir na kare...
If u r wearing tight fitting jeans to hiajb ka kya faida.....hijab sirf hair ka nehi poori body ka hota he....( and ofcourse hijab in heart.. etc..)
I mean keh before using hijab u must change ur self...like namaz paro, clothes..etc
Larki Pakistani!

[Daysee Behna]

whOA.. are u guys on a roll here or what!

Hinna, kids and grown ups altogether have asked me those qs... but u know what... I cudn't resent laughing my head off, and saying to the kid "hey good one!" http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif And he smiled shyingly, giggled and scurried away to his class and said, never mind. I thot u were bald. http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/biggrin.gif Hmm... I've been asked questions in fact, so blunt, that believe me I don't even feel comfortable posting them up here. Once, My teacher asked me if I wouold like to go upfront in our 11 grade, sit on a tall chair, and welcome all the curious questions by my calss mates that they had about related topic. I enjoyed answering them all. See it doesn't matters what kind of questions are fired at one about someone's current state of whatever they're in. If a person chooses to walk a certain path, they should atleast have some understanding, and logic to what they're doing.
HOwever, its not possible to escape the misery which comes with the petty minds and the way they think, and can't help catagorizing ppl under stereo typical modes... that is when ppl hold on to their biased opinions without hearing the other side to things.


Rani There's a hadees regarding what u said about purdah. It mentions that one should not overdo something to an extent where it grabs (neg) attention. One should view the enviroment around first, analyse it well enough, and then choose their dress mode, within the prescribed parameters. I don't see ppl staring at me in public here in the western world wearing the head gear, and proper clothing. However if I go to pak, I'd choose to dress in a more conservative manner. If you really want to pin point things here, then there's a hadees that says, one should dress in a way, that ppl notice he's a person of faith. But not to an extent where they welcome the stares of strangers. If u know what I mean... then I think that should take care of some of the mentioned concerns in ur post regarding purdah. Purdah..if u're talking the burqa one, hmm.. I myself wouldn't help giggling at someone here if they come to school wearing a shuttle kak burqa http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/biggrin.gif or vise versa. See one should choose wisely, and appear in a suitable attire in order to reduce the risk of being harrassed in any sense.


And as far as personal preference goes... hmm... thats a good question regarding this topic. BoSS, I have a real good answer for ur question, but before i do ask, would you like to answer this first.... "Where do you draw the line for personal preferences... what we do in our daily lives, isn't it all based on our personal preferences?" For we all make certain choices, when it comes to choosing our paths, we have options, among which we choose, whichever makes sense to us, or clicks to us, we choose that... and I think it applies to just everything concerning our lives... for isn't our religion a personal preference? Living with our own families, is a personal preference. Eating is a personal preference, choosing a career is a personal preference, wearing grey or navy is a personal prefrence... its all based on choice, no one is likely to get killed, if they choose something else. Choices which we have to make as individuals, everyone is free to pick whatever alternative. No one is bound to believe in something which they don't agree to. No one is forced, atleast thats the way I think. After all, even those who say the are practicing this and that because of Islam, are not forced to do so, cuz they decide to do things at their free will, because for the love of making most of out one's personal preference.

Muzna ji Aslkm! U asked Hinna's opinion about girls wearing heavy make-up. Here's mine. There's a limit to everything.What sounds good to our dear baji, is fan-tab-bo-lous to her behnas too. What u think of that girl, is what we think too heheehee... Personally spkg... universally accepted concepts are just as same to a person in hijab as they are to other people.

And hey rest of u remaining ducks **oooh run Daysee u're in for some shoe shower here**
I don't think wearing the head gear, or having the belief of hijab is anything different.. I mean, those who actually wear it, and those who don't, but have a sense of hijab, is all part of one's own ability to follow their religion to their capable extent. Its like learning to float in water, some choose to learn further and swim in shallow, those who master the shallow waters move to the deep, its all a matter of one's ability how much they can take and do in their life time.

Rest... Chill ya'll. Its all good. http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif
Adios!
DB http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

ps. Tts... we need input from you. Report right away girl. http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif




[This message has been edited by Daysee Behna (edited June 02, 2000).]

[kohal]

daysee behna.... you are one wicked chikita!
http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif

[Girl from Quraysh]

Aye aye sir! Officer GFQ reporting for duty sir! heheheheh http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/biggrin.gif

HIJAB...think.think.think.(btw Muzna baji do u recognize the card http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/biggrin.gif)

Ok, hijab is what sets us muslim women apart from others. Some see hijab as just the headscarf/covering...NOT. Some see hijab as a complete style/manner of dressing...NOT EXACTLY. You see hijab is not just limited to the way we dress, though that is essential to it, because in truth the essence of hijab not only comes from the way we dress/cover ourselves, but also from the way we act,ie.not acting in such a way as to attract the attention of ghair mahrams,modesty,etc.

Ever heard the phrase: 'No question is a stupid question'? Well i think that's especially true in regards to hijab, and islam in general. I, as with all other hijabis have been bombarded with a variety of questions throughout my 'hijabi career' http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smile.gif. I cannot say that i have ever found the questions to be irritating, i mean when we live where we live we know we are inviting curiousity by wearing the hijab and not only should we accept it but we should encourage it. Personally i think questions from kids are the best, because they are frank and honest, they say what they mean and say it how they mean it. They don't try to dance around the issue, or ignore it totally like some adults who are "afraid of offending".

Don't any of you hijabis ever feel that people in general, especially non-muslims, not only form an opinion of u specifically based upon your actions,etc., but then take their experiences with you as a representation of muslims in general? I don't know, for me hijab makes me more conscious of what i am doing, what i am saying, even more so when i remember that people will see me as muslim first, and then maybe as GFQ, and that i am an ambassador if u like to islam.

And you know, when i go out dressed as i am, i know that people treat me much differently. Not only does practicing hijab make me more conscious of islam, the people who interact with me are also made aware of the fact that i am different, and so accordingly the way they act towards me is also different. But don't take me the wrong way, its not a bad different, just different. Its like they think before they talk to me, they think about who i am first.....aahh i went off on a tangent and now i don't know how to get back into orbit!! well i guess anyone who has the slightest clue of what i'm talking about, will get what i'm trying to say, and for the others.....

Oh one more thing, many people ask questions out of sincere curiousity, and i truly believe such questions regarding hijab..AND ISLAM, should be encouraged, because not only do they create awareness, but they also create a deeper understanding of islam--which is greatly important, because we all know how gravely misunderstood islam can be in this north american/western society in which we live.

Ok this is Officer GFQ signing off. Over and out http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/wink.gif